Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is moving forward with a presidential campaign, announcing major supporters and donors in a run for the 2012 Republican nomination. Pawlenty has said he will not seek a third term and he was one of the finalists to be John McCain's running mate last year.
Certainly Pawlenty does not have the name recognition of Mitt Romney, who came close to winning the 2008 Republican nomination, or Sarah Palin. But he will be an intriguing candidate. I watched Pawlenty speak in Washington, D.C. last summer, and came away impressed with his ability to deliver a new message to the GOP. He showed a real interest in moving the Republican Party beyond its natural base and out to a broader constituency. He speaks often of reaching out to what he calls "Sam's Club Republicans," working class moderates more in line with the Republican Party on fiscal issues but turned off by the party's conservative agenda.
Right now, he's trailing badly in the polls. Pawlenty is starting early, and securing support from some GOP heavyweights. But he will need to work hard to increase his name identification in the coming months to enter the Republican primaries on equal footing with Romney, Palin and Mike Huckabee.
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